Badlands
by StardustIsMagic
Summary: I stared, wide-eyed at him, and had decided then that he was my hero. My saviour. Whatever incredibly clichéd phrases you wanted to use. I guess when I look back on it now, it was because he was something abnormal, and exciting, and came crashing into an incredibly sad and lonely life I lived.


_He Says 'Oh Baby Girl, You Know We're Gonna Be Legends, I'm The King And You're The Queen And We Will Stumble Through Heaven' …_

I wish I could have said I saw it coming. Like most people said they could, claiming that the darkness had always been there inside him. That there was always that shadow that seemed to follow him around, or that glint in his eye that supposedly bred nothing but hatred. I wasn't one of those people, instead I guess I ignored it. Or maybe I was too infatuated to even consider the possibility that he could turn.

I mean, he was a Jedi, and he had saved me. When he found me, a thieving adolescent on the street, he had already earned a place in my metaphorical hall of fame. I was sixteen, and he had been eighteen. He'd felt the Force in me before I'd even realised what I could do wasn't normal.

But that was after meeting him. All I'd known back then is if I concentrated hard enough, if I could really focus and ignore everything else around me, then I could make things _move_. Me, the malnourished homeless teen, a nobody, could do something as crazy as make objects move without touching them. Could change a merchant's mind in getting me arrested too, but that gave me a bad headache. So I tried not to get caught. I'd been across from the bread stool in the Market, the sun beating down hard. I was thirsty, and starving, and all I'd wanted was a bite. One small bite.

The pandemonium of the market on such a hot day made it easier to steal, especially if you didn't need to actually use your hands. My brows creased in concentration from my spot by the fruit cart, losing sight of the loaf I wanted as people passed. But that didn't matter, because my mind already had a lock on it, like I had an invisible hand that had wrapped his fingers around it. Come here, I'd whisper to myself, as if that somehow triggered it.

My mouth watered at the prospect of food, I hadn't eaten since the morning before. The power didn't always work for me, it felt draining whenever I did. Sometimes it'd take me an entire day to regain all my energy back, so then I could have something just in time for dinner. I'd been almost breathless by the time the loaf began to move, at first it looked unsteady, like it would fall to the floor at any moment. I reached out my hand, while I crouched underneath the stool. If I got caught I'd have my hands cut off.

I felt a burst of energy, like when you took a large gulp of water during a long journey through the Badlands, and the bread almost came flying in my direction. The palm of my left hand had been spread wide open, just reaching out beneath the stool for the loaf. Ready to grab it, and run. I couldn't almost taste it.

 _If There's A Light At The End, It's Just The Sun In Your Eyes, I Know You Wanna Go To Heaven But You're Human Tonight…_

"You've got a good amount of control there, kid." A larger hand grabbed onto my wrist, successfully breaking my concentration, "But that's stealing."

Instead of the loaf falling to the ground, it stayed afloat for a moment, before gliding over swiftly back to the stand. Like it hadn't moved from its place there to begin with. I blinked, astounded and perplexed, because that hadn't been me. I looked to the man, or boy now that I had the chance to really look at him. His face remained passive, but the slight tinge of amusement that I had noticed in his voice was present in his dark eyes. The small glint of it seemed impossible to hide.

I blinked at him, obeying without question as he pulled me up from under the stool, only then letting go of my wrist. He seemed to expect me to say something, thought I wasn't sure exactly what. All I did was stare, my hazel eyes glancing over everything from his thick black hair, brushed back, which looked healthier than my frizz of curls ever had, to the pale shade of his skin. A small tinge of a tan seemed to be setting in, which confirmed my assumption that he wasn't from this planet. Everyone who originated from our planet, Herod, was prone to dark bronze skin.

"When did you learn to use the Force, child?" He finally broke the silence, voice deep and inquisitive.

I looked at him quizzically, unsure of what he meant, "The Force?" I questioned. Earning a look of slight surprise from him as he raised a brow. He folded his arms, tucking them into the dark robes he wore. He looked important.

"Are you different? Like me?" I questioned loudly, head tilting in wonder as I took in his attire. He was so… stiff. He looked so serious. Like he was someone important. So cautious, and although he looked at me, he seemed to be occupied with all of his surroundings.

Like he could hear everything, see everything, feel everything-

"You feel it, don't you?" He said suddenly, his voice nowhere near as loud as mine. I opened my mouth to speak, only nothing seemed to come out. I just nodded instead.

 _He Says 'Oh Baby Girl, Don't Get Caught On My Edges, I'm The King Of Everything, And Oh My Tongue Is A Weapon.'…_

He studied me for a moment. The boy in the dark clothes and strange powers. Because he didn't just put the bread back with his mind, he had known what I was thinking, almost anticipated it. He seemed to be doing it now, and I didn't know whether to run, or to continue staring at him in awe. For some reason he stood out. Like a beacon of light in the darkness, and I couldn't look away. He was the type of person you came across only once in your life, twice if you were lucky, and he brought on the wave of emotions that made you hope that everything was going to be different. Better.

"Come on." He said abruptly, turning away from me and heading down the busy pathway. Without even realising it, I found myself following him, like trusting a complete stranger wasn't a bad idea.

"Where are we going?" I called out, a few steps behind him as I still faltered, unsure of whether it was a good idea. He stopped, and instantly I knew he'd read my doubts in my mind. People seemed to dodge him, nobody daring to bump into him or sneer. In fact, they seemed to barely notice him, and circled around him to carry on with their walk like he was a wall. Who the hell was this guy? I didn't even know his name.

"You're hungry, are you not?" He said it as if the answer were obvious, and as the realisation of what he was implying set in, the corner of his lips lifted upwards. He was smiling. "And you can call me Ben."

I stared, wide-eyed at him, and had decided then that he was my hero. My saviour. Whatever incredibly clichéd phrases you wanted to use. I guess when I look back on it now, it was because he was something abnormal, and exciting, and came crashing into an incredibly mundane and lonely life I lived.

"Now, Tiana, follow me."

This time, I began running.

 _And Do You Feel Like A Young God? I Know The Two Of Us Are Just Young Gods, And We'll Be Flying Through The Streets With The People Underneath, And They're Running, Running, Running Again._

* * *

 **Just testing the waters with an idea I've had with Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, not sure where it's going yet - would be nice to see what people think though, as it's probably be a short songfic!**


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